How to Put in Drainage Between My House & My Neighbor's

A lawn drainage system should be safe for kids and adults. (Image: little boy in the lawn image by Vasca from Fotolia.com)

Poor lawn drainage can create problems in maintaining healthy grass and other plants, make the lawn unsuitable for use during periods of wet weather and cause seepage into the house. So it is important to correct the problem. You will need to create a drainage channel that moves water quickly into the street or sewer following rain or other forms of precipitation. Safety should be part of channel design to avoid creating a hazard that causes people to trip or fall.

Things You'll Need

Garden hoe

Shovel

Garden rake

Grass sod

Video of the Day

Watch water move between the houses during a heavy rain and determine where it stops draining.

Identify drainage problems by watching water flow during a heavy rain. (Image: Standing Water image by Andrzej Thiel from Fotolia.com)

Remove any high spots of ground that are impeding drainage with a hoe and shovel.

A shovel is a good ground leveling tool. (Image: shovel in truck image by Andrew Orlemann from Fotolia.com)

Grade from the foundation of each home downward to a middle point between the two houses. Slope the bottom of the two grades downward toward the street. The best tools for building slopes are a tractor with an attached blade. A shovel, hoe and garden rake can be used if the area is not big enough for a tractor.

Shovels, hoes and rakes can be used to build grades in small areas. (Image: garden tools image by Joann Cooper from Fotolia.com)